Mega Thursdays Are Back: ABC's Guilty Pleasures Dominate; CBS
Written By: Fred Caughtra February 12, 2015 ABC won the second Thursday of February sweeps in adults 18–49 and Total Viewers. On ABC, Nashville jumped to a series high 47.3, up 2289% from its last season low 2.4. Wisteria Lane dipped to a "regularly-scheduled series high" 51.7, down 34% from last week's Super Bowl-inflated series high 77.8. Revenge soared to a series high 44.0, up 1900% from its last 2.7. Analysis: ABC had its best non-finale entertainment night ever, which definitely bodes well for a network that was struggling to crack a 3.0 just two short weeks ago! Nashville's self-starting abilities continue to amaze me; what other 8pm musical soap can pull out a 47.3 with no assistance? Wisteria Lane'' more than doubled the 25.0 I expected it to earn tonight, which is good for the months to come; at a 51.7, it's got a hell of a long way to fall before it drops into its early-season territory. ''Revenge held onto its jumbo lead-in nicely, and like always, kicked the crap out of everything in A25-54 (it got a whooping 77.2 in that demographic last night!). On FOX, The X Factor rocketed to a 5.6, up 522% from last week's series low 0.9. The Following recovered to a 4.9, up 717% versus last week's series low 0.6. Analysis: On a night where every show on the Big Three cracked a 20.0, FOX's 5.3 average looks very disappointing. But it's actually amazing that it recovered so well from last week, and the numbers should continue to go up. The X Factor and The Following ''did very well, jumping quadruple digits, and maintaining stellar retention across the night. On CBS, ''The Big Bang Theory shot up to a series high 20.3, up 867% from its last 2.1. 2 Broke Girls bounced to a series high 21.0, up 678% from its last 2.7. Two and a Half Men flew to a series high 28.2, up 985% from its last season low 2.6. Central Perk climbed to a series high 24.9, up 789% from its last 2.8. Elementary darted to a series high 22.8, up 891% from its last 2.3. Analysis: CBS posted its best non-Super Bowl night ever, which is truly incredible for a network this old. The 8pm comedy hour started the block off with series highs, but as usual, it was CBS's lowest rated duo of the night. The 9pm comedy hour was far more impressive; Two and a Half Men built significantly off of 2 Broke Girls, and Central Perk retained a stout chunk of its lead-in's rating. Elementary pulled a strong second at 10pm, and dominated in M18-34. On NBC, Revolution jumped to a series high 25.2, up 1700% from its last series low 1.4. Parenthood soared to a series high 21.7, up 1708% from its last series low 1.2. Chicago Fire rose to a series high 20.0, up 1875% from its last 1.7. Analysis: The peacock network ended up a little bit behing CBS, but their night was nothing less than amazing. Revolution held a dominant second in the 8pm hour, and won in M25-54. Parenthood dropped a good chunk of its lead-in, but against the stiff competition, it was still able to win in K6-11. Chicago Fire cracked a 20 by just a hair, but it was the clear T12-17 victor at 10pm. Overnight ratings for Thursday, February 12, 2015: Definitions: Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent. Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.